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STEVE BRUCE START CAMPAIGN WITH 1-1 DRAW

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on Nov 11, 2016

Steve Bruce started his new job as Aston Villa boss this weekend, playing host to Wolverhampton in the English championship.

The local derby ended with a 1-1 draw, leaving both sides to share a point. The game ended as the fifth home league draw this term but could have been worse for the former aspirant of the Three Lions job.

The Steve Bruce-led side started the day in the bottom three in the Championship standings but eventually moved to 20th position. The two goals in the derby were through penalty kicks. Villa in the 15th minute and Wolves in the 34th minute.

Jack Grealish of Aston Villa was fouled in the area by his English Under 21 teammate Dominic Iorfa. Jonathan Kodija converted the opportunity from the spot. A resolute Wolves side got their own pound of flesh 19 minutes later from the spot as well. However, the decision to point to the spot was a less controversial one. Helder Costa found his way to the edge of the box and Ally Cissokho used his outstretched arm to block Costa’s curling shot. Costa took the penalty, and scored to equalize the scoreline.

In the second half, Wolves called for another penalty kick when Micah Richards clashed with Jon Dadi Bodvarsson. The referee waved off the calls for a penalty; one that would have been difficult for the host to come back from. The visitors felt aggrieved but failed to convert chances through Prince Oniangue and Bodvarsson.
“There’s a lot of work to be done. The hardest part in management is always getting over a relegation. We’ve now won only four games in 55, which is an alarming statistic, but it’s my job to find a formula to win,” Bruce told BBC after the game.

“It would have been nice to bring big Rudy Gestede on, or Jordan Ayew, and make an attacking substitution. But we had two struggling with calf injuries,” Bruce added. Aston Villa have garnered 11 points from 12 games played this term. saa